Memories and Nightmares
by captaindarkswan
Summary: A figure from Killian's past appears in Storybrooke, with no idea how he got there or who he even is. Yet he will play an integral part in the fight against a new villain that has come to take away all of the happy endings for the residents of Storybrooke. Jack Frost comes to Once Upon a Time. Sorry for the sucky summary. Hopefully you like the story.
1. Prologue

_**Enchanted Forest**_

 _"_ _C'mon Killian, keep up!"_

 _Jack raced his best friend to the lake, ready to spend hours playing around on the frozen surface. It was the first real snowfall of the season, and Jack wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. He loved the cold weather, though Killian was never that fond of it._

 _"_ _Jack, why can't we just go on the ships and play pirates like we always do?" Killian asked, trying his best to catch up with Jack. "Besides, what are we going to do on a frozen lake?" The only reason he was even here was because Jack was his best friend, and best friends did everything together. Yet Jack was more than his best friend; he was a second brother._

 _"_ _We needed to do something different for a change," Jack answered, his eyes searching for the lake that he knew would be close. "We can be pirates another day. We may never get another chance like this."_

 _The two boys finally made it to their destination after going through a thick brush. It was more beautiful than Jack remembered. The ice was perfectly clear and solid, and Jack could see his reflection looking back at him as he stood over it. Killian stood next to him, catching his breath as he stared down at his own reflection. They stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in everything around them. Jack turned to his best friend, a smile spreading across his face._

 _"_ _Ready to go out on the ice Killian?"_

* * *

 _Killian stood on the hard ice, feeling anxiety about what he was doing. He knew that if Liam were here, he would surely tell him off, but Liam was with their father on the ships. Besides, Killian couldn_ _'t let Jack know that he was slightly terrified at the fact that they were standing on a frozen lake where at any second the ice could crack and both boys would surely fall to their death. Jack would never let him live it down if he did._

 _"_ _Can you go any farther Killian, or would you rather turn around?" Jack called, almost twenty feet away from his friend. He had a smug smile on his face, taunting Killian to come farther out._

 _"_ _Come off it Jack, I'm fine where I'm at," Killian answered, trying to keep his anxiety out of his voice. "I have nothing to prove to you anyway, I can beat you any day on a ship." Jack laughed loudly, and Killian couldn't help but laugh with him. For some reason they couldn't stop laughing, even though there was nothing particularly funny about their situation. They were just two friends out on a frozen lake, trying to one up each other and prove that they were fearless._

 _"_ _Alright Killian, just turn back, I promise I won't make fun of you if you do," Jack said, finally able to get out a sentence after all of the laughing. "But that doesn't mean I won't tell Liam you were out here with me. I'm sure he'll want to hear about it."_

 _"_ _I'm not afraid of my brother, I'm already taller than him and I'm only 13," Killian said, already taking a few steps backwards. "Plus I'm a much better fighter than he is." All Jack could do was shake his head and giggle, knowing full well that even though Killian was taller than his older brother, he definitely couldn't beat him in a fight. But Jack didn't want to hurt Killian's ego any further._

 _Killian turned around and began to make his way slowly across the ice, careful to take light steps. All he wanted to do was get back to solid ground and make his way home. He never really liked the cold weather, but he would put up with it for Jack. Maybe he would be able to convince Jack to go home early and bribe him with the promise of hot chocolate. These thoughts ran through Killian_ _'s head as he walked, and for the first time since he stepped out onto the ice, he wasn't scared. But then the ice cracked. And Killian fell through._

* * *

 _"_ _Killian!"_

 _Jack saw his best friend fall below the ice, and immediately he began to scramble his way towards him. His mind was buzzing with an infinite amount of thoughts and fears, but one stood out from all the rest. He needed to save Killian. There was no other option. He had to do whatever it took to save him._

 _He came upon the place where the ice had cracked, and took careful steps around the hole to see if he could spot Killian. Jack saw a flash of black hair about 10 feet below the surface, struggling to make it to the top. Killian was sure to be panicking, which would make it harder to swim to the top. He knew Killian was one of the best swimmers in their village_ _—he practically lived for the sea—but swimming in icy water was a whole different beast to conquer._

 _"Killian, just hold your breath, I'm coming to get you!" Jack yelled, though he was sure that his best friend couldn't hear him. He knew that the only way to save Killian would be to jump in the water and pull him out, though he was sure that doing so would be certain death for him. But Jack didn't care about that; he only cared about saving Killian. That was the only thing that mattered. Jack threw off his shoes and cloak, rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, and dove into the icy trap to retrieve his friend._

 _Every cell in Jack_ _'s body screamed as his body was attacked by the chillness of the water. He almost passed out from its effect, but the will to save Killian kept him awake. His eyes scanned his surroundings until he found Killian, who was still trying to swim to the top, yet his movements were much slower than before. By now the water had already begun to penetrate Killian's lungs, causing him to start drowning. He only had a short time before he would be dead. And Jack couldn't let that happen._

 _Swimming as fast as he could and trying to beat off the coldness that ate at his whole body, Jack made his way towards Killian. He tried to move as fast as he could, yet it always felt like his best friend was out of reach. The darkness of the water terrified him, but he had to keep going._

 _After what felt like eternity and more, Jack finally reached Killian, who was barely above a level of unconsciousness. He grabbed Killian_ _'s shirt in his hands and started to swim upward, his legs screaming for relief. Every muscle in his body was on the verge of shutting down from the exertion, but the need to survive propelled Jack upwards. He was getting closer to the surface, they were going to make it. They were going to live._

 _Jack_ _'s head broke the surface of the lake, his lungs gratefully filling up with much needed oxygen. He pulled Killian up with him, hoping that the fresh air would wake him up. But his best friend wasn't moving, and his dead weight was going to drag them under if they didn't get to dry ground._

 _Swimming with one arm, Jack made it to the edge of the broken ice, hoping that it would be strong enough to support them both until they could make it back to the shore. He pulled himself up along with Killian, never letting go in fear that his best friend would slip under the surface forever. Getting as far away from the edge as possible, Jack fell lay down on the ice, Killian right next to him. He was beyond exhausted, but he had to make sure that Killian was okay. No doubt some water had reached his lungs, and Jack had to get it out. He leaned over his best friend, laying his head over his chest to see if he could hear any heartbeat. The faintest of sounds reached his ears, bringing a small sense of relief to Jack. Even if he was just barely holding on, Killian was at least alive._

 _"_ _Killian, wake up!" Jack shouted, shaking his friend as he did so. "C'mon, you gotta wake up!" He could feel the tears building up, but he prevented them from falling. Killian had to wake up. Jack couldn't lose his best friend—he wouldn't allow it._

 _Killian remained motionless for what felt like an eternity for Jack. Yet after a few minutes, Jack heard a cough. If it hadn_ _'t been completely quiet around him, he wouldn't had heard it. He turned to Killian, praying that he would make another sound._

 _Don_ _'t give up on me Killian, we've come too far…_

 _All of the sudden, an arsenal of coughs erupted from Killian, water coming out of his mouth. His eyes popped open, panic evident in his stare. Jack grabbed Killian and helped him sit up, hoping that it would help him. He pounded his fist on his best friend_ _'s back, helping to get the water out._

 _"_ _Killian, can you talk?" Jack asked him, his voice flooding with relief that his friend had finally woken up. "Are you alright?"_

 _It took a few seconds, but finally Killian was able to croak out three words._

 _"_ _I hate ice."_

 _He turned to Jack_ _—his savior—and began to laugh_ _uncontrollably_ _, not giving any mind to the fact that he had almost died and that his lungs were still . Jack looked at him in disbelief, but eventually joined in with the laughter. For several minutes they couldn't stop, and the only sound on the frozen lake was of two best friends laughing._

 _"_ _Wow Killian, only we could laugh about almost dying," Jack said, finally catching his breath. "We have a sick sense of humor."_

 _"_ _That's why we're best friends Jack," Killian said, his voice barely over a whisper, trying to regain its strength._

 _"_ _Well I think we better get back home before we get pneumonia, though I'm sure we'll have to deal with Liam when we get back," Jack said, helping Killian to his feet. Killian was still weak from their ordeal, so Jack let Killian lean his weight against him as they walked together. They took careful steps as they made their way to dry ground, both praying that no more ice would break as they made their way. When they finally reached the shore, they both let out a sigh of relief that they didn't realize they had been holding._

 _The best friends were finally back in safety_ _'s arms, and they couldn't be more grateful._


	2. Chapter 1

**_*Author's Note: I got my inspiration for what Jack would look like from the model Francisco Randez (his picture is the cover art for this story). Hope you enjoy this chapter!*_**

 ** _Storybrooke, many years later_**

 _Everything was dark…and everything was cold_

Jack floated through the water, his body being lifted up towards the ice that layered the surface. It was like he was being pulled upwards by some unknown force to the world that awaited him above. He was asleep, something no ordinary human would be doing if they were twenty feet underwater, but Jack was no ordinary human. He continued upwards with ease, and when he finally reached the ice, he simply broke through it. Jack floated for a few more seconds until gravity took control and slammed his body down into the ice.

The cold air and solid ice pierced Jack's skin, causing him to suddenly wake up in a panic. He breathed in deeply, the air feeling foreign in his lungs. His clothes were soaked and weighed him down, and his bronzed skin was covered in goosebumps. His body was sore and stiff, making it hard for him to get a grip on his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. And that scared Jack more than anything.

 _What the bloody hell is going on?_

Slowly he was able to stand up, his bare feet slightly slipping on the ice. Why he had no shoes he didn't understand, but Jack was coming to accept that he wasn't in a normal situation. He carefully made his way across the ice, hoping that it wouldn't crack beneath him and send him back into the frigid abyss below. Finally he was able to make it to solid ground, where he was greeted by towering trees and an inch of snow. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. At least he was somewhat safe, for now.

Jack looked down at the ice and caught a glimpse of his reflection, and for a second didn't recognize who was staring back at him. The man in front of him wore a tattered cloak, white shirt, and torn trousers that stopped just above his ankles. His black hair was disheveled and soaked, the cold water running off of it making him feel as if his brain was freezing. He had a five o'clock shadow that scratched his fingers as he ran his hand over it. The longer he stared at himself, the more he began to recognize who he was. _My name is Jack_ , he thought, though nothing else came to mind. All he knew for certain was that his name was Jack, and that he was in some foreign land. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast.

He looked away from the ice and took in his surroundings once more, and after deciding that his best option to finding out where he was would be to just start walking, Jack began to make his way through the forest. He had no idea which direction he was going in, but he guessed that if he walked far enough through the trees, he would come out on the other side eventually, and that was better than nothing. His bare feet carried him farther into the forest and towards whatever adventure awaited him.

* * *

"Emma love, can't we just go home. You know I'm not particularly fond of the cold."

Emma Swan rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, not hiding the fact that she found his complaining adorable sometimes, especially when he sounded like a child. All she wanted was to take nice walk around Storybrooke in order to relax and spend some alone time ( _finally_ ) with Killian, yet here he was asking to go home. She just couldn't seem to win.

"If I had wanted to take a walk with a baby, I would've taken Neal, or Grumpy for that matter," she teased. "Seriously, we'll go home in 10 minutes, I promise." She squeezed his hand to reassure him, and instantly his classic smirk appeared. For some reason Emma knew that a certain request was sure to come.

"And do tell me what we shall do when we get home?" he asked, his eyebrows quirking up. "Hopefully something that keeps us heated throughout the night." Again, Emma rolled her eyes.

"If you mean going to bed and sleeping the whole night, than yes, that's exactly what I'll be doing when we get home," she answered, not falling for his pirate tricks. "Maybe next time tiger." She could hear Killian sigh in partial annoyance, which caused a smirk of her own. She knew that he would get over it, eventually, though she probably wouldn't hear the end of it.

They continued on in silence, taking in the beautiful scenery around them. Sure, the events with Elsa and the Snow Queen had created some resentment towards ice, snow, and anything that had to do with cold weather from Emma, but she couldn't deny that it was a beautiful thing. The way the moon reflected off the white surface, how the trees looked as if they wore a wool blanket on their branches, it was all so breathtaking to her. After a few minutes of silently admiring the scenery, Killian spoke.

"So love, what should we do now that we don't have some evil Snow Queen wrecking havoc in our beloved town? I know you're the Savior and I'm the heroic pirate, but I do think we deserve a break."

Emma giggled in response, though she knew he was right. The past month had been a living hell with all of the craziness happening, and all she wanted was to relax and clear her mind, and maybe have a drink or two. But knowing her luck, some other person would come to Storybrooke and mess up the peace that existed for the time being. Maybe it was best that Emma just enjoy it while it lasted, even if it was only for a short time.

"Maybe we can go to that fancy restaurant again, or spend hours on Netflix catching up on _House_ ," she said. "I know how much you're fascinated by medicine, and I know you admire Dr. House's sassiness." Killian smirked down at her, amused that she was comfortable enough to tease him.

"You know Swan, I swear you look just like that Doctor Cameron on the show, the one whose hair was brown but now is blonde," he said, pulling her closer to him. "Are you sure you didn't live a secret life as an actress while in New York?"

"For the hundredth time Killian, no," she said. "Besides, you of all people should know that I'm not a great actress, especially around you." Her quip earned her a small kiss on her forehead from Killian, who just smiled to himself as they continued to walk. For once, everything felt right in the world, and Emma couldn't be happier. She was on a high that she never wanted to come down from. _This was what life was supposed to be like_ , she thought.

Suddenly, a cry broke out around them, causing the hairs on the back of Emma's neck to stand on end. Her hand automatically went towards her gun, though she cursed herself when she remembered that she had left it at the sheriff's station (she definitely wasn't getting cop of the year). Killian stood at attention beside her, his face stone cold in concentration as he searched their surroundings. They saw no one, just the trees around them and the road they stood on. But they had definitely heard something—or someone—close by.

 _Oh for fuck's sake,_ Emma thought.


End file.
